Business Index Moving in Right Direction

By

Spencer Jakab

Nov. 29, 2012 8:58 p.m. ET

Being early will get you noticed.

The folks who publish the Chicago Business Barometer, also known as the Chicago Purchasing Manager Index, found that out the hard way a month ago when they mistakenly released the October survey 45 minutes ahead of schedule. Though the measure was just fractionally negative—the reading was 49.9, while anything above 50 signals expansion—financial and commodity markets in the U.S. and abroad reacted...